Best For Me | jensoo

Chapter 17

"Jisoo, will you have lunch with my parents on Sunday?" Jennie watched the brunette stop her colouring-in with Elly and look up. There was horror etched onto her face. "Oh, for God's sake, it's not like I asked you to have lunch with Lizzie Borden and her axe!" Jennie laughed.

"Uh.. um.." Jisoo was cute when she was tongue-tied. "Me?" she managed to croak out.

"No, your left shoe. Yes, you."

"Uh, why?" Jisoo's brow creased and Jennie resisted the urge to reach across and smooth across the lines with her thumb.

"Well, because I'd love them to meet you. And because I'd love you to come. And because my Dad invited you."

"Your Dad knows about me?" Jisoo looked even more afraid.

"Uh, yes. Why? Shouldn't he?" It was Jennie's turn to look confused.

"Well...I just...Uh..."

"Jisoo, you have dinner here half the nights of the week. You spend most weekends with me and Elly. You've come to a good number of my antenatal visits and you're my best friend. Why would my parents NOT know of you?"

"I guess that's a good point," Jisoo conceded. "I've just never thought of myself as parent-meeting material."

Jennie shook her head. Jisoo's uncertainties had been a little more pronounced over the last few months. Though she was still the same supportive friend she'd always been, Jennie had been able to discern more softness and more fear in her friend. It was nothing that Jisoo said or did per se, but Jennie could tell that the brunette was careful with her words, like she didn't want to put a foot wrong. Except, of course, when it came to defending Jennie, when she came out like a tiger on fire. Jennie shook her head.

It, of course, had been Jisoo who had been there for her for the last two months. Over halfway through her pregnancy, Jongin had drifted slowly back to his usual, no-show self.

Jennie should have expected it but it would have been easier if he didn't occasionally pop up and make an effort, or at least an effort to reassure her that he intended to make an effort. Said effort rarely materialised.

He'd missed her last scan, although he'd given her due warning. It was a pity because the twenty-week scan was the one where you really saw the baby. Jennie secretly hadn't minded.

She was so over Jongin it wasn't funny. Watching the fascination and tears in Jisoo's eyes at the sight had made Jennie send up a prayer of thanks that her ex-husband was a workaholic. Jongin had been in Japan, and Jisoo had been there by her side and that was exactly how things should have been.

Jennie had to admit that she was arranging things so that Jisoo could be around. She made most of her visits on Wednesdays, so that they would be at the hospital when Jisoo was.

Jisoo had even come to one of Elly's check-ups. Elly had been overjoyed at that, and had solemnly introduced the musician to her paediatrician.

And all of this was raising some uncomfortable questions in Jennie. Could she do this alone?

Jongin wasn't around; Jisoo was. Jennie knew instinctively that the girl would never let her down and she knew that it wasn't just because Jisoo was trying to make up for her own guilt: it was because she cared; it was because she was a good person, despite the brunette's protests to the contrary.

So was Jennie just jumping from one safe haven to another? She'd always assumed she could do this on her own, only now she didn't want to.

"Isn't your mother going to hate me?" Jisoo's question brought her out of her swirling, slightly disturbing thoughts.